Spring acting academy opens

Spring Sessions

Grades 1-4

WHEN: 4-5:30 p.m. Tuesdays (starting Jan. 21)

WHERE: Leo J. Welder Center, 214 N. Main St.

COST: $130, which includes a nonrefundable registration fee

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Jan. 21

Students will use their imagination and senses to act out characters on stage. The basics of presentation - movement, projection, voice and expressions - are emphasized, as well as creativity and imagination.

Grades 5-8

WHEN: 4-6 p.m. Thursdays (starting Jan. 23)

WHERE: Leo J. Welder Center, 214 N. Main St.

COST: $170, which includes a nonrefundable registration fee

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Jan. 23

Students will use improv and character development to embark in role-playing activities. They will engage in scene work, utilizing monologues and two or three character scenes while learning stage terminology, audition techniques, vocal projections and movements for actors.

For further questions or additional information, call the Welder Center Box Office at 361-570-8587.

Ready. Stage. Action.

Registration for the spring acting academy with Theatre Victoria is open, and classes begin Tuesday.

The classes, teacher Michael Teer said, will teach children improv skills and character development. The classes are broken into two sessions; one for children in first through fourth grade and the second for children in fifth through eighth grade.

"With the younger kids, I take a children's story, and we develop a small skit from the illustrations," Teer said. "The kids then make up their own lines. This way, they are able to understand the story better, and they are able to memorize the lines much faster."

The older class follows the same concept, Teer said, except it's with more detail, and students work from either a published script or monologue.

"For some of these kids, this is the first time they've had to talk in front of people - much less have to perform on stage," Teer said. "These classes offer a wonderful exposure for kids to get comfortable talking and being in front of an audience."

Teer said the classes usually hold about 15 to 20 students and registration is open until the first day of class. Registration forms are available online at theatrevictoria.org or at the Welder Center Box Office.